January 2008 is a brief reprieve in a time of intensification. This is a time during which you can get your feet on the ground as you are picking up speed. It is like reaching a landing where you can rest on a long slow arduous journey. Things will continue to intensify, but during January you will have an opportunity to slow the process and come to know yourselves better. This is the perfect time to insist on having a break in the middle of your day or to step away from a difficult conversation to take three deep breaths and calm down. This is the month to openly articulate your need for more time to make a decision, gather the facts, and make sure you are ready to take the next step. If you do not develop a habit of giving yourselves time now, you will struggle to do so in upcoming months.

The end of 2007 and the whole year of 2008 comprise a period of particular intensity. January opens itself up like a mother’s embrace to give you momentary shelter. Take this gift and use it to help you gather strength and get grounded. While the universe offers you this energy, and your spirit guides and the human angels around you will give you support, it is more important than ever that you be aware of your own needs and take accountability for having your needs met.

January 2008 is an excellent time during which to attend to the home front. Put your affairs in order. Take time to make your physical home, your community, and your physical body orderly and simple. Make sure they are healthy. Clean up any mess and remove anything that no longer belongs in your home, in your community, or in your body.

The energy of January is like a firm reassuring hand on your shoulder reminding you that while you cannot stop and you have to keep going, that you will not be alone and you will have what you need as you go.

How can we work with this energy in January 2008?

We have mentioned the importance of taking accountability for your own needs and for demanding that you have the time you need to make rational, intuitive, accurate decisions for yourselves. We will be more specific about precisely how you might do this.

You can best access the energy of the month of January by actively creating reassurance for yourselves. It is worth your time to sit on a couch at the end of the day, take a moment to arrange the cushions on the couch, adjust the light in the room, get a glass of water, and prepare before you sit down so that you can completely relax in the moment. It is worth your time to create moments of comfort. It is worth your time to mindfully set up your surroundings to support you, because the year of 2008 will demand so much of every one of you individually. This is like the last train stop during which you can gather provisions and perfect your ability to take care of yourselves and support yourselves.

You are not alone as you do this. We are not telling you that you alone will support you on your journey. We are telling you that the part you play in supporting yourself can be perfected at this point. It is not to say that we are not there as your guides to lead you, it is not to say that you are not surrounded by people doing their very best to access Love and to support you. These resources will be with you more and more as you move forward. Even so, no one knows your needs better than you do. No one can care for your needs if you have not become aware of them in the first place. This is what we ask you to perfect this month: Take time for yourself and take time to make things right for you.

Are there any power days or important days for us to work with during the month of January 2008?

Yes there are. You open this month with a portal. The first day of January 2008 is an extremely important portal of energy. It is a doorway through which all who are moving through Enlightenment will pass. It will feel like a doorway to a more intense experience of everyday life. At this point in time, every human being becomes attuned to humanity as a whole in a way that is irrevocable. Do not panic when you see this, for your soul has prepared for this for a long time and each of you is completely ready to step into the role that you have come to play in the world. While it may not be evident to you exactly what you are meant to be doing here, the energy of your presence becomes more tangible on the first day of January and continues to become clear in the year 2008.

Many of you may find this overwhelming, but most of you are likely to find a sense of purpose — a renewed sense of place in the world. For some of you it may manifest as a newfound connection with Earth, or it may manifest as simply a new energy or inspiration for a project, or a new connection with a group. Do not worry too much about what it is; just allow this energy to carry you forward. It is as if you were floating downstream and the river started flowing a little faster. You cannot help but to be swept up in it. Humanity is moving forward collectively. Together, you have made the decision to choose Love and to move toward Light. There is no stopping this momentum, so allow yourself to be swept up in it.

You may find an emotional release like grief or an overwhelming sense of relief as things begin to move. Many of you will tap into the potentials for the year when this portal opens on January 1st. With intensifying energy comes potential for some big events. Your future is not predictable; anything can change based on your individual and collective choices. Some of you will begin to feel just how very intense and challenging this year promises to be. Do not let this sensibility drown you in fear. Now is the time to trust your fellow human beings — to trust that everyone is following their path with as much Love and Light as they can find and moving forward in the ways they need to grow. The portal on the first day of January promises to be quite an intense and interesting experience.

By the fifth of January it is likely you would have settled into new routines. They may not look new to you, but we promise you that everything you are doing by the fifth of January is profoundly different from what you were doing one year ago. Watch for and celebrate the ways you have changed in the last year. Notice how you do things slightly differently. You might work in the same office or live in the same house, but you may have changed your space to incorporate more light. You may smile more than you used to. Take some time to notice how you have changed and take an inventory of the changes. They decide what you would like to keep and what you would like to adjust further in order to improve your experience in everyday life. Remember, this month gives you a chance to perfect your ability to make yourselves happy through actively pursuing your own needs and desires.

The fifteenth of January is an important day. It is like the initiation of spring. The fifteenth of January is the time to turn over a new leaf or to step through a doorway. If there is a choice you have been delaying or an opportunity that you have put off, let the fifteenth of January be the day that you step through the doorway. Let the fifteenth of January finally be the day that you say yes to your future and your vision. The whole universe will usher you through the doorway on this day!

There are several other Stargates or portals through the month of January. The month, over time, looks like a constellation in the night sky. There are many days that sparkle. January 10th, January 19th and January 28th are days of Light. They are days in which more magic is available to you, and during which change and new beginnings will be intensely apparent. Watch your choices, marvel in your growing ability to honor yourselves and the Divine Light within you.

Finally, there is a holiday celebrated in the United States called Human Rights Day — the day of Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a profoundly important day in the year 2008. Over the course of the last three decades, this day has evolved to become, energetically, the most important publicly celebrated holiday in your calendar year. The energy of the day, the collective momentum or the collective intention of the day, is the clearest thing you do to tap into the purpose for Enlightenment.

This is not simply a day to celebrate a particular social movement. This is a manifestation of your collective conscious intention to live completely in Light. When you live completely in Light collectively, it is inevitable that you see one another as equals and that you love and care for one another as family. If you choose to celebrate this holiday, take time to acknowledge its power. As you move through Ascension, or as you move toward Enlightenment, this holiday gives you the opportunity to openly share it with others.

Otherwise we invite you to simply re-embrace the truth about yourselves in the month of January. You are Love. You are made of Love, you are an expression of Love and so is everyone around you. During this month, do your best to remember that and do your best to care for yourself with the tenderness you would give to your child or to your dearest loved ones.

The Monthly Message Preview was channeled from the Akashic Records by Jen Eramith, M.A. Permission is given to copy and redistribute the Messages Previews provided that the contents remain complete, all credit is given to the author, and it is freely distributed. http://www.akashictransformations.com

The Awakening:

A time comes in your life when you finally get it when in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out ENOUGH! fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world through new eyes.
This is your Awakening
You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and in the real world there aren't always Fairy Tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact you are not perfect and not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are, and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties, and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness. You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around you, is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the things you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, and how much you should weigh, what you should wear, and where you should shop, and what you should drive, how and where you should live, and what you should do for a living, who you should sleep with, who you should marry, and what you should expect of a marriage, the importance of having and raising children or what you owe your parents.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with, and in the process you learn to go with your instincts.
You learn it is truly in giving that we receive. And there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You learn principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn you don't know everything, its not your job to save the world and you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man or woman on your arm or the child that bears your name.
You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn just as people grow and change so it is with love and you learn you don't have the right to demand love on your terms just to make you happy.
You learn that alone does not mean lonely And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up."
You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK .and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things that you want and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.
You come to the realization you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. And, you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you with her or his touch and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.
And you learn your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn, that for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You learn anything worth achieving is worth working for and wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
You learn the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn no one is punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just life happening.
And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state the ego.
You learn negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to building bridges instead of walls.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you to make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart's desire. And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with faith by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.
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May God protect You…

May God protect you
From scary nights,
from hasty flights;
From too much food,
from a somber mood;
From ringing bells,
from self-made hells;
From sickish pains,
from dishonest gains;
From excessive needs,
from tricky deeds;
From foolish quarrels,
from resting on laurels;
From silly fears,
from idle tears;
From forgotten lines,
And from all bad times.
We pray,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
from The Irish, p.55
by Fr. Andrew Greeley

Dawn of New Beginnings

O God,
We thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.
We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory.
For each new dawn is filled with infinite possibilities for new beginnings and new discoveries. Life is constantly changing and renewing itself. In this new day of new beginnings with God, all things are possible. We are restored and renewed in a joyous awakening to the wonder that our lives are and, yet, can be.
Amen.

Earth Day Prayer

O GOD,
we thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.
We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, and rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
GRANT US a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory.

Keeping It In Focus

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote many years ago:
"There is no place where God is not. God is there in a thousand wonders, upholding rocky barriers, filling the buttercups with their perfume and refreshing the lonely pines with the breath of his mouth. Descend…into the lowest depths of the ocean, where undisturbed water sleeps, and the very sand is motionless in unbroken quiet, but the glory of the Lord is there, revealing its excellence in the silent palace of the sea. Borrow the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, but God is there."
His beauty is stamped in all of creation:
The glory of God can be seen
from the smallest raindrop
to the mighty flash of lightning;
from the tiny rosebud
to the huge magnolia blossom;
from the rich, fertile soil of the Mississippi Delta
to the arid, dusty land of the desert.
We can see His stamp of glory in all the world,
from the music of a sparkling brook
to the majestic tumbling waterfall;
from the gnarled, gentle hands of a loving grandfather
to the birth-fresh fragility of a baby’s fingernail;
from the silence of the stars to the peal of thunder;
from the mirror-like smoothness of a placid lake
to the wind-driven thunderous waves smashing on the shore.
In the fresh greenery of the spring; in the dazzling color of autumn; in the joy of discovery on a baby’s face; and in the fulfillment and meaning of the New Birth, we can see the glory of God.